Latest news with #segregation
News24
7 days ago
- Health
- News24
A silent tragedy: Children with disabilities endure shocking conditions in hostels
The education system in South Africa continues to mirror the segregation of the past, relegating learners with disabilities to special needs schools and hostels that are understaffed, under-resourced and ill-equipped to provide quality education, write Tommie Lehmkhul and Tshego Phala. BlindSA and the Equal Education Law Centre have headed to court to advocate for the appointment of curators at Filadelfia Secondary School and Arthur Blaxall School. These schools, which serve blind and partially sighted pupils, along with their adjoining hostels, have been at the centre of serious concerns about conditions and access to quality education. The proposed curators will be tasked with investigating these troubling circumstances - conditions that have left many pupils with disabilities, particularly those living in the hostels, without the opportunities guaranteed by their unqualified, constitutionally entrenched right to education under Section 29 of the Constitution. Alarmingly, the education system in South Africa continues to mirror the segregation of the past, relegating learners with disabilities to special needs schools and hostels that are often far from their homes and families, understaffed and under-resourced and ill-equipped to provide quality education. READ | More than 130 special needs pupils in Mpumalanga denied education since start of academic year These pupils are stripped of their right to family life, dignity and equality and to the choices which other children have - simply because of a system which continues to fail to support and reasonably accommodate them. Within the context of special schools that are far from home and a continued failure (and at times refusal) to reasonably accommodate pupils with disabilities in ordinary public schools, as mandated by the South African Schools Act, parents are often forced to send their children to special school hostels. Every parent expects that the school they entrust their child with will act as the parent of their child while the child is in their care. Much more so in the case of a child with a disability who, due to the inadequate number of special needs schools across the country, resides in the hostels because of the vast distance between home and school. The shocking conditions which are rife in these hostels are all the more objectionable in light of the vulnerability of these children who are not in the safe, nurturing environment they deserve. Across the country, these institutions - meant to be places of care and support - are instead riddled with neglect, abuse, and dangerously poor conditions. The crisis in these hostels is a silent tragedy, and it is time for us to speak up and demand change. A system in decay Many hostels housing children with disabilities are in disrepair, lacking basic resources, proper medical care, and trained staff. Overcrowding and poor hygiene are rampant, with children forced to live in conditions that no human should endure. Reports of malnutrition, untreated illnesses, and even physical and emotional abuse have surfaced, yet authorities continue to turn a blind eye. Over the past few years, countless human rights violations have been reported in special schools and hostels. These violations range from inadequate infrastructure to substandard nutrition and shocking levels of care. Learners and parents have repeatedly complained about abuse, including sexual abuse and neglect. Various exposés and news reports have spotlighted these atrocities, revealing a disturbing pattern of neglect and abuse. Pupils are left unattended, living in hostels without running water or functional toilets, and are forced to fend for themselves. Disturbingly, some children with disabilities must assist each other with daily living activities - such as changing nappies and bathing - despite their own physical limitations. This is a gross violation of their dignity and rights. Voices unheard, rights ignored Pupils with disabilities are consistently overlooked in resource allocation. Education budgets fail to adequately address their needs, reinforcing systemic marginalisation. The chronic shortage of trained staff and lack of accountability create an environment where abuse is both rampant and unreported. Children with disabilities are among the most vulnerable members of our society. Many of them cannot articulate their suffering, making them easy targets for mistreatment. Staff shortages and a lack of accountability create an environment where abuse can go unnoticed. When these children do cry out for help, their pleas are often dismissed. Their rights, enshrined in national and international laws, are being ignored daily. When children with disabilities are left in these dire conditions and left in the margins of society, it does not just impact them - it affects all of us. We cannot claim to be a just society while allowing this crisis to persist. These children are being denied access to quality education, healthcare, and social inclusion, setting them up for a future of continued marginalisation and suffering stripped of the opportunity to unlock the multiplier right to education that could enable them to contribute and participate fully within our society. This is not just an issue for the government; it is a call to action for every citizen. We urge policymakers to take immediate steps to improve hostel conditions, enforce strict monitoring, and allocate resources to ensure proper care. We call on the public to raise awareness, report injustices, and support organisations working to protect these children. Change is possible - but only if we demand it. READ | SA govt failing disabled children - HRW report Together, advocacy groups such as Blind SA, assisted by the Equal Education Law Centre, have sought to engage with national and provincial departments about the deplorable conditions in special school hostels. We have repeatedly called for the need for regulations governing these hostels, but our calls have gone unheard, even leading us to launch two separate court applications to have an independent person (called a curator) to visit, document, and monitor conditions at two special needs schools. It is our hope that these curators will be given the opportunity to investigate the living conditions of these learners and report to the respective courts with recommendations, which we hope will bring positive change in the learners' lives. In response to the government's inaction, we must continue to raise our voices and demand accountability. The children in these hostels are not invisible. Their lives matter, their dignity matters, and their future depends on our collective action. - Tommie Lehmkhul (BlindSA treasurer) and Tshego Phala (EELC executive director) are with Blind SA and Equal Education Law Centre. *Want to respond to the columnist? Send your letter or article to opinions@ with your name and town or province. You are welcome to also send a profile picture. We encourage a diversity of voices and views in our readers' submissions and reserve the right not to publish any and all submissions received.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Gordon Parks Foundation Gala Raises $3 Million, Shatters Auction Record, Celebrates Black Excellence
A Black woman in a pale blue dress and white pumps stands alongside her young niece wearing a white lace dress, white bobby socks, and black mary janes. The woman's elegant attire is gently subverted by a loose slip strap, drawing the viewer closer and evoking an emotional response to her humanity. This quotidian image of generational familial bonds outside a department store becomes impossible to ignore under the neon sign pointing to the 'COLORED ENTRANCE.' The incongruous image of Joanne Wilson and her niece juxtaposed with the inhumane sign is painfully relevant nearly seven decades after it was shot by Gordon Parks (1912–2006) for a Life Magazine photo essay documenting the Thornton family under segregation in Alabama. Parks' essay opened an urgent national conversation about the Jim Crow South, creating stunning full color portraits that stood out among the mostly black and white imagery from protests and demonstrations exposing widespread racism at the time. By removing the blatant political context of the nascent Civil Rights Movement, Parks fosters empathy with his genuinely revolutionary focus on the everyday lives of Black people. Department Store, Mobile, Alabama (1956) fetched $140,00 during a live auction led by Kimberly Pirtle of Sotheby's Collectors Group last night at the glamorous Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction, celebrating the arts and social justice. The seminal image was the top lot, surpassing the $114,300 sale of Segregation Story at Phillips New York in A-list event raised a record $3 million for the foundation, which permanently preserves the work of the trailblazing photographer, composer, author, poet, and filmmaker, who rose to prominence in U.S. documentary photojournalism between the 1940s and the 1970s. On the heels of the 2025 Met Gala, amplified by the success of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through October 26, the enduring legacy of Black dandyism was on display last night at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction honored: pioneering Black fashion model and activist Bethann Hardison; master of conceptual post-black art, Rashid Johnson; influential editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour; and ambassador, congressman, mayor, and civil rights leader, Andrew J. Young. 'I'm sometimes thinking to myself, how long can I continue to do the things I do. … people say to me, 'when are you going to retire? That's not a word I know very well, because it always seems like there is something else I want to do, something else that has to be done. And as Ms. Wintour said earlier, we do things, but there's still so much more to be done when you're that person. Everyone's not meant to do it, but for those who are meant to do it, you know the Trojan horse, we need a lot of people to pull that Trojan Horse. Oftentimes, it's more about the pullers than the person who's on the horse. And I really feel that way, and I live a lot of times between bravery and fear,' said Hardison. 'Sometimes you have to think, 'how long can you hold off from not saying anything to someone?', because you know you're going to really shake something up when you do it. And the bravery steps up. And I grab hold of bravery. It takes bravery to do a lot of things right now. We have to be extremely brave. Extremely brave.' Besides poignant speeches from the honorees and special guests, Rev. Ernest F. Ledbetter, Jr. and Rev. Dr. Ernest F. Ledbetter III, the son and grandson of Rev. E.F. Ledbetter, gala attendees, including celebrities, philanthropists, collectors, and arta nd fashion world luminaries, were treated to a performance by singer-songwriter Andra Day. The event also feted the 2025 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellows, Derek Fordjour, Scheherazade Tillet, and Salamishah Tillet. This year's awards dinner and auction were hosted by co-chairs: Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean; Tonya and Spike Lee; Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor; Anderson Cooper; Sarah Arison; Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault; Michi Jigarjian; Judy and Leonard Lauder; Carol Sutton Lewis and William M. Lewis, Jr.; Crystal McCrary and Raymond McGuire; Gail and Jeff Yabuki; Alex Soros and Huma Abedin; and Clara Wu Tsai. Ceelbrity guests icnluded Tory Burch, Dapper Dan, Malcolm Jenkins, Misty Copeland, Gayle King, Ari Melber, Leslie Odom, Jr., Marcus Samuelsson, Deborah Roberts, Annie Leibovitz, Jay Ellis, Prabal Gurung, Breanna Stewart, Michael Stipe, and Mickalene Thomas.
The Sun
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Inside Tommy Robinson's seven-month jail stint – from ‘lifer' who threatened to kill him to segregation ‘making him ill'
TOMMY Robinson's turbulent stint in jail which saw him segregated over concerns for his safety is set to be over within days. The far-Right activist - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - was locked up for 18 months in October for contempt of court. 2 2 Robinson had made multiple breaches of an injunction in 2021, which barred him from repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him for libel. And his time in jail has been anything but smooth despite the former EDL leader now preparing to be back on the streets within the next week. Robinson was previously "segregated" from other inmates at HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire following threats to his safety. The High Court was told that he was isolated because of concerns including worries that he "would be killed by a lifer". The court was previously told there were fears Robinson will be attacked for "kudos" - hence the decision to move him to a closed wing. A lawyer for the Ministry of Justice said at least two inmates were plotting to attack Robinson and that he had a "mark on his head". Then, the former EDL leader launched an appeal against the length of his sentence last month but lost the bid. Robinson's lawyers argued his time in prison was "making him ill" and that the segregation was having a "demonstrable effect". But barristers for the Solicitor General, who opposes the appeal, said there were "no grounds" for reducing the sentence. It was his second defeat in less than a month after a separate appeal bid against the segregation was thrown out. The Ministry of Justice previously opposed the challenge to his segregation, and its lawyers said his isolation was "substantially more permissive" than standard segregation regimes. They said Robinson had access to a laptop and emails, use of an exercise yard for several hours a day, and being able to make social phone calls for four hours daily. Jailed Tommy Robinson moved to closed wing over fear he'd be 'killed by lifer who put mark on his head' In March this year, Tom Cross, for the MoJ, said in written submissions that 120 people had been authorised to visit him. He added that Robinson been allowed "over 80 visits", another 13 "non-family visits" approved up to March 30, and the ability to request to see other prisoners. The activist's visits are two hours of social visits, four days a week, which he said were "well in excess" of prison requirements for unconvicted prisoners, which is at least one hour per visit, three days a week. Robinson's sentence was made up of a 14-month "punitive" element and a four-month "coercive" element. This meant he could have the four months slashed from his jail term if he were to "purge" his contempt and show steps not to break the injunction that originally landed him behind bars. However, in a ruling today, Mr Justice Johnson said that Robinson had shown a "change in attitude" since he was sentenced. He said: "He (Robinson) has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again." Lawyers for the Solicitor General also agreed that Robinson had taken steps to adhere to the injunction. The former EDL leader will now be back on the streets within the next week. HIGH COURT ROW Robinson was first jailed after admitting ten breaches of a High Court order made in 2021 by repeating false claims against a Syrian refugee. The row first erupted in 2018 when a video went viral that showed Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian in West Yorkshire, being attacked by another teenager at school. Robinson posted his own response this his one million Facebook followers falsely claiming that Jamal was a violent thug. As a result, the teen and his family received a string of death threats and were later awarded £100,000 in damages after suing Robinson for defamation. The court slapped the activist with an injunction that banned him from making the claims again. But in 2023, Robinson lashed out at Jamal again and posted a video claiming he had been "silenced" by the state. He re-showed the clip to thousands of his supporters in London 's Trafalgar Square. Jailing him, Judge Mr Justice Johnson said the breaches were not 'accidental, negligent or merely reckless'.
BreakingNews.ie
15-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Young people want to break down community barriers, research finds
Young people in Northern Ireland want to break down community barriers but do not expect it to happen for them, according to new research. The findings from think tank Pivotal suggest that young people believe greater integration is something that will happen 'for future generations'. Advertisement It also indicates that investing in youth services that allow young people to mix regularly should be a focus for those seeking change, and be part of a new vision for what an integrated future, with the right leadership, could achieve. Published today, Achieving greater integration in Northern Ireland: young people's voices, is based on focus group conversations with young people from different parts of the region. It follows on from a previous Pivotal paper published in March that examined segregation in both schools and housing, and the relationship between the two. Both reports highlighted the extent of division still experienced in schools and communities, as well as the need for realism about what can be achieved when there are so many other competing priorities facing the Executive and communities themselves. Advertisement Overall, participants in this study believe that Northern Ireland's segregated school system helps perpetuate division, with the mandatory teaching of religious education a particular concern for many of the young people. However, while there was significant support for integrated education, this was not universal – and it was not seen as a cure all for current social division. The young people also said that integration is about more than the traditional green/orange divide, and highlighted concern around bullying based on skin colour or cultural differences. A significant number of the young people said they attend events on both St Patrick's Day and the Twelfth of July although there were mixed feelings on how inclusive those days actually are. Advertisement Ann Watt, director of Pivotal, said the research shows that young people have a 'keen sense of our divided society and how that has shaped their own experiences'. 'There is a clear consensus in favour of more integration and building understanding between different communities,' she said. 'This goes beyond the traditional sectarian divisions within local society, with young people very aware of the challenges facing ethnic minorities and newcomer families. 'However, there is a lack of confidence that significant changes will happen soon. The young people we spoke to feel that integration will ultimately be something for future generations.' Advertisement She said many of the findings echo the first report. 'This project highlights needs for leadership and a fresh vision of how a more integrated society could be achieved and what more integration, mixing and sharing of resources could offer socially, economically and culturally,' she said. 'In terms of schooling, while there was quite broad support for integrated education, this was not the young people's top priority for change. 'Instead, they would like to see more investment in raising awareness of different cultures and religions, with a focus on learning together about the differences between communities. Advertisement 'In the wider community, while many young people say they have taken part in cross-community events, including through schools, they were sceptical about whether these had any real legacy of change. Ireland BBC journalist exercised 'utmost caution' in repor... Read More Instead, they feel that more regular, local opportunities for mixing are what really break down barriers – spending sustained time with people from a different background and building friendships. 'This suggests that greater investment in local youth services as well as the creation of more truly shared spaces – and, in the case of many rural areas, better public transport to access those spaces – could be the best way to make a difference right now.' Pivotal's report was based on conversations with 48 young people aged 15-25 years within five focus groups that took place between September and November 2024 in Belfast, Derry, Enniskillen and South Armagh.
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Northern Ireland youth keen on a more integrated society but feel it is a long way off
Forty-eight young people aged between 15 and 25 were brought together in five groups by a Belfast-based think tank late last year to talk about the society they live in and the one they want. The encounters, however, illustrate the road that Northern Ireland has yet to travel, marked by a lack of hope that things will change in their lifetimes and even caution about bringing about the very change that they say they want to see happen. In conversations that took place in Belfast, Derry, Enniskillen and south Armagh in September and December, the groups gathered by the Pivotal think tank professed a striking sense of belonging to the local community where they live. However, that sense of belonging partly illustrates Northern Ireland's still-continuing wider divisions, since most of the young people themselves volunteered that they live in segregated communities. READ MORE In the rural areas focused on by Pivotal, this typically meant that the villages or towns where they live are still dominated by people from one religious background. In Belfast, the divisions live cheek by jowl: 'While people of different religious backgrounds lived there in closer proximity, they did not necessarily share spaces in an integrated way.' Everyone, no matter how young, understands the meanings of murals and flags, which are 'widely understood' as ways to mark territory and intimidate outsiders. In Belfast, the so-called 'peace walls' are clear symbols of segregation that they want to see end, yet they have mixed feelings about taking them down. Instead, they suggested that the walls' gates could be kept open for longer. Some efforts to boost cross-community ties – such as 'special days' at school – are little more than window dressing, the groups felt. Instead, they sought more funding for youth clubs, sports and other settings to create sustained contacts. 'Instead of lasting progress, many grander initiatives both within and outside schools that aim to bring together young people from different backgrounds are too irregular to make a difference. 'Leadership is required if young people are to believe integration can be a genuine aspiration for their generation,' said Pivotal, which issued a report earlier this year that looked at the consequences of segregated schooling. The priority for some of those involved was for younger students who are just beginning primary school, rather than believing that anything can be done to greatly improve the level of cross-community ties in their own lives. 'In primary school, that's where you make friends easier, that's where you first meet people. That's where you become friends with different people from different cultures and religions easier than you would in high school. 'Like, you're young and once you get to know them like nothing really matters. You don't really care about their religion or anything you just are like friends,' said a 15-year-old girl from south Armagh. Some of the young people described their experiences of integration 'as an action, rather than a state of being' filled with 'temporary efforts' that they engaged in before returning to the background from which they came. ' Do you remember the episode in Derry Girls where they were like, 'Right, we've 20 Protestants here, 20 Catholics there?' It's just unnatural, you know. You're forcing questions that maybe some people aren't comfortable in answering ,' said one 22-year-old man from south Armagh. Equally, the groups brought together by the think tank believed that Northern Ireland's segregated school system 'helps perpetuate division, with the mandatory teaching of religious education a particular concern for many', said Pivotal. 'However, while there was significant support for integrated education, this was not universal – and it was not seen as a cure all for current social division.'
